Land Rover Discovery and Discovery II

Comments

help I have a Landrover disco2 series and I am in the process of removing the head so I can replace the gaskets problem is I can't get the head bolts offs, even with an impact rench that I rented. can someone tell me what I should use that can make removing these bolts simpler

I love the looks of the Discovery II I can say im in love with it.I'm thinking in buying a 2002 LR Disco II for 12,895 it says that price can be negotiated.It has 60,000 miles.So I've heard a lot of people who says that LR aren'tso good at all. They say that it brokes eventually.Im very confused. BUT I LOVE IT! Can you help me? What do you suggest me?It is true what they say? If I take care of the LR would it break easily? It would be my first car... and its the only SUV i like in the moment.

I'm having the same ABS lights problem with my 99 Disco. Here are some words written some time ago by another guy.:

"When it's going, it's a great machine, but you really need to be a genius to chase failure symptoms to the actual fault (or have an Autologic or Testbook). I have made use of a very broad selection of swearwords and a broader amount of cash getting this littany of faults rectified.

HDC/TC and ABS lights / The Three Amigos. I had two causes of this about 6 months apart. This fault was intermittant to start with. My garage kept resetting the computer and they would stay off for a few weeks as the faults were caused by the SLABS computer log filling up with faults relating to power. This was traced to the alternator putting out a slightly lower voltage than required. The alternator eventually failed completely so I replaced it (John Deere supply an alternator which is identical to the Landrover one but is half the price) This cured the ABS/HDC/TC faults for about 6 months.

The lights returned and this time I needed to replace the ABS Valve Body. There is a part replacement if you can get someone keen to take it on, otherwise see if you can part exchange your existing one. The price from a dealer for a new one is painful. You can still drive the car with the three amigos lit but you have no ABS or TC. Bear that in mind."

What I can tell you is only buy a 2003 or newer. A TON of problems were fixed with that year including a better engine. The 99-02 has a modified GM Buick V8 that has an issue with build-up on the heads. Seriously, you have to gun it to reach 5-6000 RPMS at least once a month to prevent that or $3000. The 2003 got a more powerful and reliable engine with more power and VERY slightly better gas mileage. The 99-02 also experienced a common problem with the shuttle valve on the ABS Modulator which, if failed will cost $1500. The Driveshaft commonly wears out (mine twice) at a cost of about $900 each. The main coolant pipe distribution assembly from the Water Pump was improved on the 03 models. It costs $125 for the dealer to hook up the truck to their computer and there are only 2 shops here that have that Testbook program, so I have no idea why my 2000 Disco II SRS (Airbags) light came on and stayed on. I checked all the fuses and reset the power but it still comes on. Let's hope I don't crash! The most issues I have had are related to the cooling system and guess what? Everytime I replace a failed part it has been improved! They realized it stunk and fixed it - thanks for letting us know! Hurricane Charley hit here in Orlando and knocked down trees and poles on every street in 2004. Good thing I had a rugged 4x4! Oops! Forgot - a tiny little coolant valve coupling failed on the top of the engine the next morning and the Disco was useless!. The thermostat failed last week because it is made of cheap plastic where the lip that holds the clamp tight disintegrates and the hoses fall off. Don't forget about the main coolant hose distribution assembly that failed on Interstate 4, and I thought I could make it to the next exit with the Temperature light on - WRONG - that overheated and ruined the top half of the engine at $3000. The Discovery requires premium gas and I have to fill it up at least once a week at $65 - gas mileage isn't so good....Then there are the dual sunroofs - really cool until the plastic gets brittle on the drainage tube coupling and the drainage tubes fall off and water/rain runs through the top of the headliner and you get soaked when it comes down the seatbelts, windshield and dome light assembly. Not done yet - with the Florida sun and heat, it creates hot, steamy moisture inside which dislodges all of the headliner glue and the fabric falls down all over. The foglight bulbs burned out, but they get so hot that that the bulb fuses to the plug, so you have to buy the ENTIRE assembly for $200 each side. I elected to go without. If you have the SLS (Self-Leveling Suspension), it is really cool - you can make the truck go up or down and it doubles as a low-rider, UNTIL the Inflatable Air Springs/Shocks wear out, crack and fail, then you have a truck that sags on one side when parked until the spring fails completely and then you are bouncing all over the place and avoiding any bumps. The dealer charges $500 each side to replace them, but if you are mechanically inclined you can replace them for $200 each side with the Original Manufacturer's shock available from AtlanticBritish.com. You can buy the Contech air spring w/o the Land Rover logo for $200, or the same one with GENUINE Land Rover logo for $400. Of course I decided to go cheap the first time and ordered some other brand which failed after 14 months, fresh out of warranty. BTW - Because it is all-time 4 wheel drive, you must always replace 4 tires at once and there is also a common issue with the transfer case leaking. Oh, and 3 weeks ago mine went crazy and started blowing the horn and flashing lights at 3am - woke the whole neighborhood up - how nice that was!On the positive side, it is very SAFE - I was hit by a Saturn doing 70 MPH in my first '99 Disco II and all three of us walked out and the truck still drove....The saturn owner wasn't so lucky and has metal knees now....They totaled that one cause the frame was bent. I also noticed that for some reason police don't seem to want to pull you over, or they let you go with a warning in this truck - that never happened before! Who knows!The Disco is also very capable off road and there are Land Rover clubs and Land Rover Dealer events where you can try it out and compete. That was fun. Geez - did I answer your questions? Good Luck!

Bad news - those lights are on because your ABS Modulator, the pump that pulses brake fluid to keep your brakes/tires from locking up has failed. This is a common issue that LR, in my opinion should have issued a recall. But since those features TC ABS and HD aren't mandated by the DOT, and because the part is so expensive, it ensures that they won't do the right thing. A small shuttle valve gets stuck inside and the entire thing is useless. No serviceable parts - NICE! It is about a $2000 job for the dealer to fix. I dealt with it for a year before I found a new one on eBay (probably fell off a truck) for $400. BEWARE - you CANNOT buy a used one because once removed, the brake fluid corrodes the inside. It cost me $400 to have the dealer install it and they WILL NOT do it unless it is in the foil sealed bag. I found that out after I bought one from a parts dealer for $150 - down the drain! Now my SRS (Airbags) light is on - oh boy! Let's hope I don't crash! By the way, for the complete, entertaining story, look up my other post - intensityderen - it is lovely!

Hi There - I know that when my 2000 Disco II overheated, and I waited till the next exit on I4 - it ruined the top half of the engine (Bad Idea). The dealer had to keep it an extra day because 2 of those bolts sheared off and he had to drill out and retap the holes. He was NOT happy about it. I guess the best thing you can do is get as much of that loosening spray (better than WD40 at the auto parts store) and let it soak for at least one night. Good Luck! You also might want to speak to a LR mechanic at 5:30 when they get off work and tip him out for the advice - I do that occasionally, give 'em $20 for his time and some times he hooks me up with something extra when my truck HAS to go to the dealer, like an ABS sensor for free, etc.

Hi There - I travel almost 50 miles to work each way, so I am right there with 'ya. The best tires I have found in 7 years for my Disco II are the Michelin Synchrone brand. They are standard equipment on the Range Rover. I bought them at Costco for about $800. They run a tire promo of $60 off a set of 4 every couple months, so call to check. They also include free lifetime balance and rotation and road hazard warranty and I believe that is the key. Keep those puppies rotated every 5000 miles religiously and they will DEFINITELY last longer.

I am now a believer in tire rotation. I currenrtly have the Michelin Synchrone but they have what I consider unacceptable wear due to not rotating. I am done with the LR dealerships and will be rotating my next set of tires regularly. Thanks for the advice.

Take a look at Cooper Discovery tires. I've had mine on now for about 13,000 miles. Less expensive than many others. Did a fine job in last winter's many deep Denver snowstorms. I pull a 20 foot Trail-Lite RV trailer. Never had any problems with them.

Tires on most heavy SUV's wear very quickly. I found the original Goodyear Wranglers on my '01 DII to last 17K with lots of cupping despite rotations. Next I tried Bridgestone Blizzaks LM-22's ($1200, phenomenal snow traction)and got better wear up to 25K miles. The current set of tires are General Grabber A/T's and also great snow traction and least wear so far. They were the least expensive too. TireRack shipped them to my front door for about $650 and I had local Big-0 install for $80. They are fairly beefy and great off-road too.We have the Michelin Synchromes($1250) on our '05 RR and they are desperately needing replacement now at 25K miles. I think we'll try the Pirelli Snow and Ice SUV tires next. It used to be difficult to find snow or all-weather tires for 18" rims but it's easier nowadays. Hope this helps. Nokian now makes SUV tires in 18" so check those out.

Can anyone give any suggestions as to why these warning lights may have come on as a result of? Car has been stalling before it starts a little for the last month. It finally gave out last night. It was just at the dealership not even 30 days for a tune up, and it would not start. The night before last, when I was drving all of a sudden the manual mode and sport mode lights came on for a quick second, but than went off when I restarted the car. When I looked up the warning light signal and definitions in the manual, it stated that it was an indication of electrical fault with the automatic gearbox. Now, I have no idea what that means, and I was just wondering if someone could explain why that would happen, and if it is covered under the extended warranty.

Also, do you know if you can get an extended warranty for a discovery 2003 HSE7 for over 100,000 miles. I saw somehwere that landrover has warranties up to 120,000 miles. Has anyone ever heard of it, because the dealship stated that 100,000 is the maximum.

An electrical or electronic fault with the electronic gearbox could be any of a wiring defect (i.e., short circuit), a malfunctioning computer chip or faulty sensors (speed, engine load, temperature, elevation etc.).

I have a 2003 Discovery SE and had the same problem with the M & S lights. My battery had been week prior to the lights coming on and my gearbox finally went into the "limp home" mode. I bought a new battery and it solve the problem. Since the gearbox on the Discovery is electronically controlled, you can have problems if your battery goes bad. You should at least test your battery before you spend a ton of money with a mechanic. Let me know if it works for you.

Hi There - to have the headliner replaced by the dealer will run you a minimum of $600 if you do not have the rear A/C option, otherwise it will cost around $800. I removed my headliner (with rear A/C) on my own and took it to a local shop which had the larger fabric available for $150. It is important to "blow out" or reconnect the sunroof drain tubes with silicon or superglue at the same time as these can commonly fail and cause devastating leaks. The headlining replacing company will need a sample of the tan plastic to recreate the factory headliner. Best of luck!

Hi im new 2 all this i own a 2004 discovery landrover. with in the last 2 months my brakes have been acting up. Totally screaching. I live n Az i have called my dealer and they have told me 2 wash them with soap and power hose them. I have one that @ least 5x. They have told me that it is just dust in my brakes. They have continued on making that embarassing noise. I bought my a lil over a year ago. @ 8600 miles. Right now it is about 2 roll over 2 24000 miles. The dealership also told me that a light would turn on if the brake pads where out. & that it also has to do with how it is driven. I own my my own buisness so i hrdly ever drive it. Its never been n 4x. The owners b4 me where snow birds and never drove it. They where an older couple. Do u have any suggestions? Ty T@ylor

I've had similar problems with M&S lights - I just got new batterey and so far so good; but I'm skeptical and don't want to drive to far. After you changed your battery you had no further issues? I don't want to spend a ton of $$$ at the dealer if I don't need to. Did you ever check the diagnostics? That was my next step - just wondering...

Hi,I know the screacking!I can recommend to change the thin metalplates each side of the pads or simpler: Get some copper paste and use your finger and put a few points on the shining side of the brake disk.That should take care of it immediately. The first tip will make it pemanent.Good luck

So I took my 96 land rover discovery off- roading, nothing too serious... lots of mud though... I got stuck several times and used my winch to pull myself out but then one time after i had pulled my self out it wouldn't start, at first it wouldn't even crank but after holding it for a few seconds it will start to crank again but will not start. I don't have a lot of experience with cars but there was water in the air filter which means water in the engine which isn't good. Also, a clicking noise coming from what seems to be behind the glove box starts going off and keeps clicking until the key is removed, I'm not sure whether this means the battery is dead or what... I had someone tow me home but I don't know where to go from there... and i'm not looking forward to spending tons of $ as i have already shelled out too much on this car. What should I do?

I got a P2539 code on my 2001 Disco II today. My regular mechanic said I have a coolant leak that they don't have the equipment to get to, but suggested that I watch the level and add coolant when necessary since it's a small leak. He didn't know how much the dealer would charge to fix it.

When I put the P2539 code into RepairSolutions database, it took me to the Land Rover technical information (for $9.99) and the dealer specs say I have a possible Trickle Valve leak.

Hei, you really were walopping in the dirt?I would have cleaned the car with pressurised water underneath. Then hook up with a 12 volt booster and see if you can get it workingThe clicking is probably from the alarm wiring/security, because that is situated partly behind /undeneath the glovebox,

I do not understand why thr battery should be flat, but if you used the winch repeatedly without running the engine and having a short drive after wards...

But it is easy checking the battery. Put on the headlights and start (try) if the lights dissapear Ok then your battery is flat.

The ABS, TC, and Hill Decent lights have come on in my 2001 disco ii. I have had the rear brake pads replaced and all the tires rotated recently. I did not have the rotors resurfaced. The sqeeling noise from the new pads went away after a few days, but the three warning lights (ABS, TC, and Hill Decent) and my check engine light are now on. Any suggestions as to what it might be?

On the tech-oriented LR boards your problem is known as "The Three Amigos" . The issue has a number of causes. Many Disco owners simply have the dealer reset the lights and they will stay off for a year or more. In other cases a more elaborate fix is required. Here's a helpful article concerning the problem.